Register to hit shonks

NATUROPATHS and other alternative therapists hope a new national register will separate the qualified practitioners from the shonks.

By Rachel Browne and Melissa Singer

June 14, 2009 — 12.00am

NATUROPATHS and other alternative therapists hope a new national register will separate the qualified practitioners from the shonks.

The industry's reputation was dealt a blow this month after the NSW Supreme Court convicted a homeopath of the manslaughter of his nine-month-old daughter, who died of septicemia caused by chronic eczema.

The court found the refusal of Gloria Thomas's father, Thomas Sam, and his wife, Manju, to seek emergency assistance for their daughter constituted gross negligence.

University of Queensland researcher Jon Wardle, who heads a steering committee that is seeking to establish a national independent register for naturopaths and herbalists by mid-2010, said it would help remove potential conflicts of interest from industry associations that must promote the profession and also protect the public interest.

"We are making sure that when the public sees a naturopath they have training, act ethically and if something goes wrong, there is a complaints procedure," he said.

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Mr Wardle said the lack of formal accreditation meant people with as little as one week's training could call themselves naturopaths.

He said most homeopathic remedies were dispensed by naturopaths, but there was evidence that the discipline was gaining recognition among conventional medical groups. British podiatrist and homeopath Tariq Khan, who visited Australia last month, recommends homeopathy be used in conjunction with conventional treatment.

Homeopathy, which was developed by German physician Samuel Hahnemann more than 200 years ago, operates on the idea that substances which can produce symptoms in a healthy person can be used to treat symptoms in the sick.

During his visit, Dr Khan met the head of dermatology at St George Hospital, Dedee Murrell, to discuss using homeopathic remedies to treat the rare genetic condition epidermolysis bullosa. Those with the condition, also known as cotton wool kids, suffer severe skin blistering after minor bumps. There is no cure, but patients are treated with protective bandages. Stevie Hislop, who has recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, is the size of a 10-year-old even though she is 19.

Professor Murrell said Ms Hislop, of Moree, may benefit from additional homeopathic treatment.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association have given qualified support to the use of complementary medicine where there is research about its outcomes.

However, a Sydney Children's Hospital spokeswoman said the use of homeopathy for children was still being debated.